CIS receives $2,000 grant

Children who participate in Cities in Schools after-school or summer camp programs will soon have more literary options.

CIS received a $2,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Organization.

"At Dollar General, we are passionate about our mission of serving others throughout the communities we serve," said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General chairman and CEO. "It's exciting to see the Dollar General Literacy Foundation's outreach in action as we partner with organizations to further education and literacy and make a real difference in people's lives."

According to CIS Executive Director Sara Kerley, the majority of the money will be used to purchase books for the CIS library.

Last year, CIS began developing a small library for participants to use. During the summer day camp, children spend 40 minutes per day reading books from the library. During the after-school program, children spend 15 minutes reading, which does not include the time they spend doing their homework.

Many of the books available are on the Accelerated Reader list. Students can take the AR tests in the computer lab for points that are turned into their school.

"We're thankful because this further allows us to expand our library," Kerley said. "We try to have a little bit of everything. Some children don't like reading, but we want to have something that will interest everybody."

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. A complete list of grant recipients or grant application deadline information can be found at www.dgliteracy.org.